Israel's Gantz to travel to Washington, Netanyahu furious

Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, will travel to Washington on Sunday for several meetings with American officials. Notably, he did not coordinate the visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The prime minister’s office was outraged by the publication of the meeting, according to Ynet, which first reported the story, saying that Gantz would be traveling without asking for Netanyahu’s approval. The prime minister’s office reportedly said government regulations “require every minister to approve his travel in advance with the prime minister, including approval of the travel plan,” adding that “the prime minister made it clear to minister Gantz that the State of Israel has only one prime minister.” 

Gantz is expected to travel first to Washington before continuing to London. His US visit comes against the backdrop of reports claiming that the Biden administration is losing patience with Netanyahu over his management of the war in Gaza and refusal to plan for a postwar government of the enclave. It also comes as Israel’s government and war cabinet have been split on how to proceed in ongoing hostage release and cease-fire negotiations led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Some 1,000 people, including families of hostages held in Gaza, marched Friday for the third day toward Jerusalem, calling on the government to reach a deal for their release. Addressing the marchers in the city of Beit Shemesh, Gantz said, “The mission of bringing them [the hostages] home is the mission of all of us; it is our top priority alongside the other important goals. We will bring them home, all of them as much as we can, and rapidly.”

Biden announced on Friday the United States will soon airdrop humanitarian aid, mostly food, into Gaza, similar to joint operations carried out recently by Jordan and France.